View Full Version : CZ pistols?
What is the overall opinion on the CZ line of pistols? Really been looking into getting a new handgun, haven't had one for over fifteen years since my Beretta 92FS, and seem to be drawn to the CZ 75 style of pistol.
Are they reliable, good shooters accuracy wise, easy to maintain, and good support from the parent company?
I am really interested in the P01 model, or a compact 75. How would you rank them with the like of Glock, H & K, Beretta, and S & W?
Thanks for any information and pictures of your CZs would be appreciated.
I've been very lucky with my 2 CZs, a P01 and a 75B. I've never had any problems with either of them at all and they will eat anything you feed them and spit it out with very good accuracy.
If you are looking for a range gun only or don't see your self putting several thousand rounds down range they are for you. However, if you put a lot of rounds down range keep in mind they are a mid 70's design and will need more spare parts, i.e. springs and a slide lock in particular to keep them running since the pin on the lock gets peened since it engages the barrel cam.
The 75B is also a very large gun and can be difficult to coneal which is why I have mine up for sale and have moved to the M&P 40fs. Even the P01 which is the same size a Glock 19 is more difficult to conceal since it is not a smooth on the outside as the M&P or the Glock.
crusader377
11-10-10, 13:38
I own a CZ-75B, and have fired between 4500 and 5000 rds through it I think it is a good pistol. It is accurate, reliable, inexpensive, and handles well. On the downside, the CZ-75 is a large pistol and would be a poor choice for a CCW and its factory sights are inferior to some pistols like the M&P. I purchased mine for IDPA and to keep wear off of my BHP and to complement my M1911 since the BHP, M1911, and CZ-75 all have similiar ergonomics.
That said, about 10 months ago I picked up an M&P 9 which was my first polymer pistol and striker fired pistol and haven't looked back. I believe the M&P is a better pistol and since then by CZ-75 has been a safe queen.
In summary, I think the CZ-75 is a good pistol but their are better pistols on the market. For a range gun the CZ is great but for a carry pistol there are better choices such as an M&P, Glock, etc..
My CZs have been some of my most reliable pistols(on par with a few HK), not one single incident with my CZ-85 or CS CZ 75 Target, and they are the guns which are more accurate for me. I have other pistols like the P30 and although I have been learning to shoot it a bit better it wasn't that same feeling(still practicing). I really am starting to love my P30, but I think I will always have a place in my heart for CZs.
Remember they are the most issued service weapon in the world for a reason.
lethal dose
11-10-10, 15:43
No problems to report. Get a used older gen model.
My experiences with CZ pistols pretty much mirrors everyone else's..Great range toy, not so good a CC, as the round count goes up,(and not that high, either) parts will start to break, Finish is poorly done (mine had some sort of polymer finish on it, and it looked like it was applied by a 11yr old) For the same money or slightly more, one can buy something much better,as accurate,much more reliable, and much better supported. (parts, holsters, etc) M&P, Glock,two good places to start looking.
Very fun pistols to shoot, and they make so many different models that you are bound to find something you really enjoy.
Trigger work on them can yield enormous benefits. I mean a night and day difference. Very few other guns respond to trigger work the way CZ's do. And of course, some people like them just the way they come from the factory.
The downside is that they are not bombproof like glocks. Anyone who has significant hard-use round counts through one will admit this. Basically everyone who uses one for USPSA carries an extra trigger return spring, slide stop, and probably extractor. Over on the benosphere, the common recommendation is to swap out the trigger return spring and slide stop about every 5,000 rounds, and to remove and clean the extractor every 3,000 or so.
I have a Stainless 75B and a Shadow, and they're both great. Who doesn't love an all-steel gun? However, I bought both thinking they would replace my G17 and later my G34 as my main competition guns, but it just hasn't happened.
I've had several, including two P-01's. Never any problems. Ate anything I fed them, accurate. But, I have heard the concerns from others and it did make me a little nervous.
The more I look at other pistols that appeal to me, the more the Glock pistols look like the way to go.
Don't have enough money to throw around just to experiment.
The more I look at other pistols that appeal to me, the more the Glock pistols look like the way to go.
Don't have enough money to throw around just to experiment.
Well, gen 3 or earlier it would seem. Every forum including this one has a "gen 4 problem" thread. Everyone loves the M&P... "If" you get such and such a kit. No perfect pistol I suppose.
legumeofterror
11-10-10, 20:52
I have a CZ-75B Omega that I carry daily and have just over 2500 rounds through. I put 500 though it without cleaning before I started carrying it, and it ran fine. I have not had a single malfunction with any kind of ammunition, ranging from high end self defense stuff like Ranger Bonded and HST to my crappy lead reloads and Blazer aluminum. I hear a lot of talk of problems with these handguns since that pistol training article popped up, but I have yet to have any issues with mine.
The fit on my pistol is better than my Colt 1911, and the finish looks fine to me. It has held up to carry in fairly unpleasant conditions in the hot Florida swamps where I spend a lot of my free time. This gun is on my belt every day, and I bet my life that it will run when I need it too. I don't expect my experiences to convince anyone of anything, but I think they are fine handguns.
The P-07 was promising (it shot great), but after it went down, CZUSA sent me a new pistol.. and the 2nd one sucked. Traded it towards a P30.
Also had a CZ Phantom, ran problem free for 1500 rounds, but sold it to get a CZ Shadow.. that's my range toy and steel plate monster for sure! Awesome pistol!
G
As pretty much a total Glock 17 true-believer/die-hard, the CZ SP-01 is the finest pistol I've ever owned/run.
Beltjones is dead-on: there are a few things that you'll need in your range bag that are considered "consumables", yeah Glocks don't have any of that to deal with, but an SP variant is at least twice as easy to shoot well and a good one will outshine pistols costing $3k or more, throw the kitchen sink at a Glock and it still won't even be close.
I've gone 1500rds without cleaning or lube twice without a single hiccup or malf and am well on my way to doing it again, no I'm not sold they're as reliable as a Glock, but in my experience they're damn close.
Shoot one with the CZ-Custom's competition hammer installed and you will buy one, period, best $63 a pistol-lover could ever spend and you should pretty much plan on it and factor it in to your price as far as I'm concerned. You could get an M&P, buy everything Apex offers and then polish everything twice and it would still feel like crap comparatively.
If you have the means pony up for a Shadow Custom, without the lawyer-happy firing pin block in the way their reset is shorter than a 1911 while having near the "snap"of a Glock, but if you're on a budget a standard SP-01 with a comp hammer will do and the reset will still be shorter than an M&P or most others (avoid all the decocker models with CZ's, you want SA/DA with the safety). The ergos are maybe the best available but you can even make them thinner than 1911's by going to thinner grips if you want.
FWIW also, with CZ's, any SA/DA- w/-safety variant after a competition hammer installed can be liberated of it's FPB and have a pre and over-travel adjustable SAO trigger installed... this set-up can make one forget about 1911's as there's about 3mm's trigger-movement total: 1mm or less take-up, crisp-break, 1mm over-travel, 1.5mm reset, a very beautiful thing.
I know a few of the things I've said could rub some guys on here the wrong way considering what's popular on this particular forum, but honestly I'd challenge any of them to shoot one (a serious pne with either a comp hammer added or lots of rounds through it) before they say a word, as I think they might find themselves quite shocked.
In keeping with the m4carbine-philosophy if your goal is a pistol that's most likely to survive armeggedon and/or go bang everytime, IMO, that's a non-starter... get a Glock 17/22, but if you want the best all-around gun with the best cash-to-performance-ratio (without-foresaking-reliability) you can get your hands on, I'd look long and hard at the CZ SP/Shadow series.
JMHO
As pretty much a total Glock 17 true-believer/die-hard, the CZ SP-01 is the finest pistol I've ever owned/run.
Beltjones is dead-on: there are a few things that you'll need in your range bag that are considered "consumables", yeah Glocks don't have any of that to deal with, but an SP variant is at least twice as easy to shoot well and a good one will outshine pistols costing $3k or more, throw the kitchen sink at a Glock and it still won't even be close.
Shoot one with the CZ-Custom's competition hammer installed and you will buy one, period, best $63 a pistol-lover could ever spend and you should pretty much plan on it and factor it in to your price as far as I'm concerned. You could get an M&P, buy everything Apex offers and then polish everything twice and it would still feel like crap comparatively.
If you have the means pony up for a Shadow Custom, without the lawyer-happy firing pin block in the way their reset is shorter than a 1911 while having near the "snap"of a Glock, but if you're on a budget a standard SP-01 with a comp hammer will do and the reset will still be shorter than an M&P or most others (avoid all the decocker models with CZ's, you want SA/DA with the safety). The ergos are maybe the best available but you can even make them thinner than 1911's by going to thinner grips if you want.
I deleted the parts of your post that I don't wish to address. I hope that's ok.
First, "outshine" is pretty subjective. I had a G17 that I loved, and I bought a CZ 75B that I thought would be better for shooting sports. I ended up throwing the kitchen sink at it (new springs, comp hammer, and eventually a SA trigger), but according to the clock the Glock was still faster. Then I went to a G34, which was an improvement over the 17. After seeing some really good shooters with their Shadows, I bought one to see what the hype was about. I'm still testing it, but despite the fact that it weighs more than a 1911 it doesn't seem to shoot softer than the 34. Different strokes, I suppose.
Like I mentioned, I installed the comp hammer on the 75B. In my opinion, the new and "improved" factory hammer on the Shadow is just as good. The DA pull is very smooth, and there isn't any camming in SA mode. Just FYI.
Finally, even the Shadow with the FPB removed does NOT have a shorter reset than any 1911 I've ever fired. No way. Not that it really matters, though. It's still a very fun pistol to shoot, and I do like the trigger quite a bit (I have the 13 lb mainspring and new "improved" trigger return spring added), though it does take some getting used to when transitioning back and forth from the Glock.
I deleted the parts of your post that I don't wish to address. I hope that's ok.
First, "outshine" is pretty subjective. I had a G17 that I loved, and I bought a CZ 75B that I thought would be better for shooting sports. I ended up throwing the kitchen sink at it (new springs, comp hammer, and eventually a SA trigger), but according to the clock the Glock was still faster. Then I went to a G34, which was an improvement over the 17. After seeing some really good shooters with their Shadows, I bought one to see what the hype was about. I'm still testing it, but despite the fact that it weighs more than a 1911 it doesn't seem to shoot softer than the 34. Different strokes, I suppose.
Like I mentioned, I installed the comp hammer on the 75B. In my opinion, the new and "improved" factory hammer on the Shadow is just as good. The DA pull is very smooth, and there isn't any camming in SA mode. Just FYI.
Finally, even the Shadow with the FPB removed does NOT have a shorter reset than any 1911 I've ever fired. No way. Not that it really matters, though. It's still a very fun pistol to shoot, and I do like the trigger quite a bit (I have the 13 lb mainspring and new "improved" trigger return spring added), though it does take some getting used to when transitioning back and forth from the Glock.
My opinion is totally subjective yes, but I'm just really impressed with the CZ and have to apologize for going a little overboard with my tirade there.
What's strange is I had a similar experience as you going back and forth between the CZ and the Glock, but what I figured out in my case was that it wasn't so much the guns affecting my times as it was the different sights. I was running Warren/Sevigny's on my Glocks and the CZ sights were garbage by comparison, just a sliver of the daylight around the front blade that I was used to with the Glock, after pairing a custom-ordered .090" width front blade to the tactical rear (.125" notch) on the CZ everything changed. With the same picture I was used to I immediately picked up my speed with the CZ over the Glock.
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